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Review
. 2023 Feb;56(1):65-81.
doi: 10.1016/j.otc.2022.09.005. Epub 2022 Oct 18.

Unified Airway Disease: Examining Prevalence and Treatment of Upper Airway Eosinophilic Disease with Comorbid Asthma

Mitesh P Mehta  1 , Sarah K Wise  2
Affiliations
Review

Unified Airway Disease: Examining Prevalence and Treatment of Upper Airway Eosinophilic Disease with Comorbid Asthma

Mitesh P Mehta et al. Otolaryngol Clin North Am. 2023 Feb.

Abstract

The "unified airway" describes the concept that inflammation affects upper and lower airways by similar mechanisms; this often manifests as rhinitis, rhinosinusitis, and/or nasal polyposis in the upper airway with associated asthma or bronchial inflammation in the lower airways. The relationships between eosinophilic diseases of the upper and lower airways are highlighted by examining their prevalence and treatment regimens along with the synergistic effects of treatment on upper and lower airway symptoms. It is important to recognize the interrelatedness of upper and lower airway eosinophilic disease to assess and manage patients accurately and holistically.

Keywords: Asthma; Eosinophilia; Nasal polyp; Rhinitis; Rhinosinusitis; Type 2 inflammation; Unified airway.

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